Job Description

Job Posting End Date

06-06-2026

Please note the job posting will close on the day before the posting end date.

This role is responsible for engineering and operating the enterprise Kafka platform, which is a strategic, on‑prem data movement backbone. The focus is on platform stability, scalability, data safety, and enablement of producer/consumer teams.

We are seeking hands-on software engineers to design, build, and deliver domain microservices on our middleware platform. This dual-responsibility role combines deep technical execution with leadership of third-party development teams. You will architect features, write production code, conduct code reviews, and guide offshore/contractor teams to ensure high-quality delivery. The ideal candidate thrives in a player-coach model: rolling up sleeves to solve complex technical problems while mentoring and directing 3PL teams.

What You'll Do:

Essential Job Functions & Tasks

• Design and implement microservices using Spring Boot 3.X+ and Java 21+ on the core middleware framework.

• Build REST APIs following OpenAPI 3.0 standards with proper versioning, error handling, and documentation.

• Develop integration workflows with z/OS Connect (MACSS), GigaWatt REST APIs, and Kafka event streams.

• Implement Hybrid CIS routing logic leveraging the Redis-backed routing engine for account/capability-level decisions.

• Write clean, maintainable, testable code with comprehensive unit and integration tests achieving >80% code coverage.

• Leverage framework capabilities: OAuth2 security, circuit breakers, structured logging, distributed tracing, secrets management.

• Optimize service performance, handle edge cases, and ensure graceful degradation under failure scenarios.

• Participate in on-call rotation and respond to production incidents.

• Lead and mentor offshore/contractor developers (3-6 engineers) delivering features and user stories.

• Conduct architecture and design reviews for work assigned to 3PL teams.

• Perform thorough code reviews ensuring adherence to standards, best practices, and framework patterns.

• Break down complex features into well-defined technical tasks with clear acceptance criteria.

• Provide technical guidance on integration patterns, data modeling, error handling, and testing strategies.

• Identify knowledge gaps and provide training on framework capabilities, domain context, and coding standards.

• Monitor 3PL team velocity, code quality, and escalate blockers or quality concerns.

• Ensure 3PL deliverables meet production readiness criteria before merge.

• Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting for features you deliver.

• Ensure services meet SLOs for latency, availability, and error rates.

• Follow secure coding practices: input validation, secrets handling, PII protection, OAuth2 flows.

• Partner with the Lead Software Engineer on service architecture and technical decisions.

• Collaborate with product owners and business analysts to refine requirements and clarify acceptance criteria.

• Work with QA engineers to define test plans and reproduce/fix defects.

• Coordinate with the core framework team to leverage new capabilities or report issues.

• Represent the team in technical design discussions and cross-service integration planning.

• Contribute to team knowledge base, runbooks, and technical documentation.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years professional software development experience with Java/Spring Boot or similar enterprise frameworks.

• Proven hands-on experience building REST APIs and microservices in production environments.

• Strong coding skills with ability to write clean, performant, maintainable code.

• Experience leading or mentoring offshore/contractor teams in a player-coach capacity.

• Deep understanding of REST API design, JSON, OpenAPI specifications, and API versioning.

• Proficiency with Spring Boot ecosystem: Spring Security, Spring Data, Spring Cloud.

• Experience with distributed systems concepts: circuit breakers, retries, caching, eventual consistency.

• Hands-on experience with Git, CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and Kubernetes deployments.

• Strong code review skills with ability to provide actionable, constructive feedback.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for guiding distributed teams across time zones.

Nice to Have:

• Experience integrating with mainframe systems (z/OS, CICS, MQ) or legacy enterprise platforms.

• Familiarity with CIS platforms (MACSS, GigaWatt) or utility industry domain knowledge.

• Background with Kafka event-driven architecture, CDC patterns, or event sourcing.

• Experience with Redis caching, Oracle databases, and SQL query optimization.

• Knowledge of OAuth2/OIDC, API gateways (Azure APIM), and API security best practices.

• Familiarity with observability tools: Splunk, Dynatrace, Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger.

• Experience with Resilience4j or similar fault tolerance libraries.

• Previous experience leading offshore development teams in India, Latin America, or Eastern Europe.

• Background working in Agile/Scrum environments with distributed teams.

Desired Certified Credentials

• Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE Programmer

• Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)

• Spring Professional Certification

Technical Environment

• Languages/Frameworks: Java 21+, Spring Boot 3.X, Gradle

• Architecture: Microservices, REST APIs, event-driven patterns

• Cloud/Infrastructure: Azure, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Helm

• Integration: z/OS Connect, GigaWatt REST APIs, Kafka, Oracle GoldenGate CDC, SFTP

• Data Stores: Oracle, Redis, Kafka

• Observability: Splunk, Dynatrace, Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger

• Security: OAuth2, Azure Key Vault, Azure APIM

• DevOps: GitLab/Jenkins, Docker, Helm charts, blue/green deployments

What We're Looking For:

Education requirements are listed below:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related technical field is required.

Work Experience requirement listed below:

• 8 years of relevant work experience is required. An equivalent combination of education and related experience may be considered.

What You'll Get:

Base Salary from $116,255.00 - $151,132.50year. In addition to a competitive compensation, AEP offers a unique comprehensive benefits package that aims to support and enhance the overall well-being of our employees.

At AEP, we’re more than just an energy company — we’re a team of dedicated professionals committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions. Guided by our mission to put the customer first, we strive to exceed expectations by listening, responding, and continuously improving the way we serve our communities. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact and being part of a forward-thinking organization, this is the company for you!

Compensation Data

Compensation Grade:

SP20-009

Compensation Range:

$116,255.00 - $151,132.50

The Physical Demand Level for this job is: S – Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently. (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

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It is hereby reaffirmed that it is the policy of American Electric Power (AEP) to provide Equal Employment Opportunity in all respects of the employer-employee relationship including recruiting, hiring, upgrading and promotion, conditions and privileges of employment, company sponsored training programs, educational assistance, social and recreational programs, compensation, benefits, transfers, discipline, layoffs and termination of employment to all employees and applicants without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. When required by law, we might record certain information or applicants for employment may be invited to voluntarily disclose protected characteristics.